Odys had no idea about the conspiracy at the duke's mansion. He took a carriage to the Backlund Mechanical Research Society.
Although the descent of the Evil God was right before them, Danesi's meeting with Kremond could not be ignored either. It would be best to find Max and discuss it.
The carriage sped forward. Odys was lost in thought inside when his spirituality suddenly stirred, and he looked out the window.
He saw three vagrants by the roadside, their arms hooked around one another as they danced merrily. They were singing at the same time: "...Ah, this beautiful world! Ah, this helpless world!
"Friends, dance and sing! I heard the secrets of the stars. I heard the essence of the universe.
"I heard the teachings of God. They echo beside my ears..."
Odys frowned. What are they singing about?
As the carriage passed the three vagrants, Odys observed them carefully. Their faces carried genuine smiles, but their eyes seemed to hold little life. They even looked somewhat cloudy.
Although Odys's spirituality sensed that something was wrong, he did not have the carriage stop. Instead, he planned to report the matter to the Machinery Hivemind and let them investigate.
Not long after passing the three vagrants, Odys suddenly heard a cry of alarm from behind.
He hurriedly stuck his head out the window and saw the three vagrants collapse onto the ground in perfect unison, blood spraying from their mouths.
Their eyes bulged, their faces turned purple, and they soon stopped breathing.
Yet their faces still wore cheerful smiles. Reflected in the blood, those smiles looked extremely eerie.
Odys was about to tell the coachman to stop when his spirituality sent him a warning of danger: "Quick! Go! Go!"
As he spoke, he scattered a handful of transparent powder. Two